Family in Focus®

Whether we like it or not, diet culture is all around us, and that means it has snuck into our homes. It is in the background while we are at dinner and while we are getting dressed. Today's episode examines 5 ways that diet culture is present in our relationships with our kids, and what you can do NOW to become the change we wish to see: creating healthier relationships with our own bodies, our f...

How do you know if foods are good or bad? Does it have something to do with their nutritional content? Their impact on your blood sugar? If you like them or not? This week's episode dives into the (ONLY!) three bad foods you will encounter. And then what to do with the rest of the food. Don't miss this one! I'll even tell you about my exception (the 4th bad food). Check out the artwork for a spoil...

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we're chatting about love. But not that commercial buy-this, prove-that-you-love-them approach. Instead: how can you use love at home to help you and your family? Every. Darn. Day. And when you're ready to start applying this in your own home, check out www.wendyschofermd.com for more information about my coaching programs, as well as the blog at www.wendyschoferm...

We talk about parenting without the drama.... what does that really mean? What is the drama? Check out today's episode to find out about the drama that you want, and the drama you can choose to drop like a big old heavy suitcase. No need to carry that burden anymore! When we learn how to parent without this heavy burden, our arms are open for helping our kids... who have their own drama (because i...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD We're time-traveling today: going back to my teen years to see how my dangerous, taboo ex-boyfriend is similar to... ice cream. And it has nothing to do with temperature. Take a listen and let me know what you think. wendy@wendyschofermd.com And when you're ready to start applying this in your own home, check out www.wendyschofermd.com for more inf...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD, Episode #33. I help you parent without all the food and body drama. So let's get drama-busting. One of the biggest dramas that I had was "knowing" what was healthy and then seeing my family make other choices. And then fearing the health outcomes of their "unhealthy" choices. No wonder I felt miserable. In today's episode, I unpack what we know ab...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD, Episode #32. The need to get things right was trained into me. I was rewarded for high scores in school. In medical school, I learned the "right way" to be healthy. Ha. All of it. In today's episode, I discuss how that spilled over to raising my kids, and I share an easy way to practice making it right. I've opened my doors for 1:1 coaching to hel...

Making a decision doesn't mean that you have to stick with it forever. Or that you're hypocritical to change your mind. In Episode #31 of Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD we talk about how I changed my mind, how it is glorious, and why you have permission to make glorious changes too! Check out  www.wendyschofermd.com  for more information about upcoming coaching programs, as well as the blo...

Trust is built by having a firm belief in someone or something. In episode 30 (!) of Family in Focus: find out how to build that belief in your body, its messages (like hunger), and then model that self-trust with your children. Check out www.wendyschofermd.com for more information about upcoming coaching programs, as well as the blog at www.wendyschofermd.com/blog . Disclaimer : While  Wendy Scho...

We continue on our series on Hunger, Eating & Family -- with recognition of emotional eating. Is it a problem? Is it THE problem? Only if we let it be. Let's chat about why emotional eating is not a problem. Come over to my blog to read more:  https://www.wendyschofermd.com/blog/eating-while-feeling-not-a-crime And as always, you can visit my website for to sign up for weekly tips, tricks and...

Episode 28! Last time we talked about Hunger & Kids... but you may have noticed, there's a lot of food-searching going on. Is it possible the kids aren't actually hungry all the time? Why else could they be asking for food, again?! Today we dive into 4 additional reasons that we all search for food. How are we looking to food to solve problems other than hunger? I stressed it in the recording...

"My kids are always hungry!" Sound familiar to you? So many parents note it with concern, and question, "What does this mean?" This is the first episode in a series on hunger. We are starting with the why, the biology, and the NORMAL of hunger. Join me next week for the next steps... how to deal with hunger and the emotions of eating.

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD. As a physician and parent, I've learned a lot about kids, nutrition, and growth. But these are three things that I wasn't taught in school about weight - and are now oh so important to help now amidst concerns about weight and how to help our kids. 1) Our children's weight is not a fault/blame game, 2) Weight is NOT the problem, and 3) It's possib...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD, Episode #25! It's Thanksgiving week! It's that time of year where we renew our gratitude practices - and yet, how do we reconcile having gratitude amidst so much pain? Today's episode dives deeper into how do we embrace the pain, fear, uncertainty, grief - and open up the possibility for experiencing gratitude FOR the pain? So timely in 2020, 2021...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD -- Thanksgiving special post. You know who wasn't invited to Thanksgiving - anywhere? The Food Police! In this super-quickie episode, I go over four things to consider before your Thanksgiving meal. They're so important that we can call them rules for the day. Actually for every day. Enjoy! 

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD - Episode #24! You know what's different in helping parents who are worried about their kids' weight? Having conversations like these: not about cutting calories and increasing movement, but using the tools of connection, openness and learning. Join me - and let me know how you apply for yourself and your family and community: wendy@wendyschofermd....

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD. Today we dive into Responsibility when it comes to helping kids navigate weight concerns. What are we controlling? Where is the finger-pointing? Where are the opportunities to take ownership? Dive in and let me know what you see as your responsibility in your home. And the downloadable Division of Responsibility sheet (all thanks to Ellyn Satter's...

Welcome to Episode #22! My son's at it again: giving me material for the podcast! And that's not a bad thing. I appreciate the opportunity to choose to focus on our conversations. You see, the brain is hard-wired to find problems and to focus on them until fixed. So we are ALWAYS looking for danger, problems, and pain. It's about ensuring our survival. But we have the option - the choice - to focu...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD Episode #21! My love-hate relationship with Halloween has a lot to do with my experience as a pediatrician and the "sugar-gorge-fest," as I saw it. In this episode, I talk about how MISERABLE that made me feel, every year, and what I did to make peace with Halloween. While you may not take the same approach I did, what is possible for you to make p...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD Episode #20 (woo-hoo!) A mom used her example of making mac and cheese dinner as evidence that she isn't the one to lead her family to healthy habits. Hold.the.phone. Today we dive into why we serve the foods we do. And dare I say, the energy behind that - when you're having mac & cheese - what energy do you want to serve with it? It's your cho...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD, Episode #19. Did you realize you have a say in the questions that you ask yourself? We have trained our brains to keep looking for something else, the next notification, all the things that need to be on the to-do list, all the things that require our time and attention and energy. It's hard to see the forest through the trees. Especially when it'...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD. Episode #18 A gymnastics-tricks session with my niece this weekend left her amazed: her mom and I jumped right in. She hadn't seen adults jump in to play like that at the gym and it begged the question: why? Why aren't parents playing? In today's episode, we dive into this further - and I ask of you: how can you let go and allow your brain and bod...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Dr Wendy Schofer. Episode #17:  The final step in my Go S.L.O.W. process for creating healthy family habits:  Water. So powerful, essential (as per my father-in-law... and biology!) and yet so easily overlooked. Today I talk about the things that get in the way of adopting water into our regular habits - and why it is deserving of more attention.

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD. Today we continue on the Go S.L.O.W. framework: Observe your body. Get all busy asking it two really important questions: Am I hungry?  Have I had enough? We go through a whole bunch o' stuff that gets in the way of asking the questions and listening to the answers. I'd love to hear what you're learning for yourself. What are the messages you are...

Welcome to Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD. Today we continue on the steps of Going SLOW to instill healthy habits for the whole family around meals: Lose the Distractions. Yeah, I don't like having steps that speak in the negative, but with the number of distractions that we have nowadays, it begs particular attention. TVs, computers, scrolling on phones and endless notifications -- these...